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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. sharp — clever
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — a short time
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bank — of a river
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. dip — to sink
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — magic
  17. pound — a weight
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bank — for money
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — to confront
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com